Published date: 21 May 2018

Last edited date: 21 May 2018

Closed opportunity - This means that the contract is currently closed. The buying department may be considering suppliers that have already applied, or no suitable offers were made.


Closing: 15 June 2018

Contract summary

Industry

  • Medical equipments - 33100000

  • Miscellaneous evaluation or testing instruments - 38900000

Location of contract

BS16 1QY

Value of contract

£40,000 to £50,000

Procurement reference

UWE/018/2018

Published date

21 May 2018

Closing date

15 June 2018

Contract start date

3 July 2018

Contract end date

2 July 2020

Contract type

Supply contract

Procedure type

Open procedure (below threshold)

Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.

This procedure can be used for procurements below the relevant contract value threshold.

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

No

Description

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common and unpleasant problem affecting thousands of people. It leads to painful symptoms and time off work, and sometimes significant complications, such as kidney damage. GPs diagnose UTI in patients based on their symptoms. Often they will also check a urine sample for infecting bacteria, and for white blood cells, which show the patient's body is generating an inflammatory reaction to the infection. Current methods to look for bacteria and inflammation are slow and sometimes unreliable- it can take three days to get a result for a urine sample sent to a microbiology laboratory. As the patient has ongoing symptoms, the GP will sometimes prescribe antibiotics before the result is back. However, if the result received actually shows no infection, antibiotics could be harmful to the patient, and to the community at large, due to increasing risk of antibiotic resistance.

In collaboration with NHS Trust partners, the University of the West of England is developing a device that can be used in GP practices to identify UTI bacteria and inflammation in five minutes. The patients will give a urine sample to the practice nurse, who will then put some of the sample into a test cartridge. This fluidic cartridge contains antibodies to common UTI bacteria, and a protein which is a better test for inflammation than the current check for white blood cells. When the cartridge goes into the new instrument, the diagnosis will be made. Patient feedback on our plans has been received from patient panels supporting the research team through focus groups and direct feedback. This emphasised the importance of ensuring the test is safe, easy to use for nurses, inexpensive for GP practices, and easy to store. We must ensure the device is accurate, gives results in line with standard tests, and we will ensure it enhances NHS treatment pathways.

One fluidic cartridge will be used for each patient test and it will be docked with the instrument when measurement is required. The measurement process for each biomarker involves a magneto-immunoassay. Details of this assay are provided in document 14. The instrument will perform the following functions (1) control of sample collection and preparation process, (2) control of magnetic particles to capture the biomarkers, (3) measurement of bound magnetic particles, and (4) the use of an algorithm to convert output of measurement to biomarker concentration.

UWE requires the delivery of a unit to perform function (2) - control of magnetic particles to capture biomarkers and (3) above - measurement of bound magnetic particles. Key elements will be precise, reproducible movement of magnets to optimise the positioning of magnetic particles within the fluid flow to ensure capture of the majority of particles and developing robust system for measurement of the required 4 biomarkers. This contract will require a close working relationship between the Supplier and the University ...

More information

Links

Additional text

Please register your interest on the HE In-Tend Portal https://in-tendhost.co.uk/he/aspx/Home

Is a Recurrent Procurement Type? : No

About the buyer

Contact name

Rosie Hale

Address

Coldharbour Lane
Bristol
Avon
BS16 1QY
United Kingdom

Telephone

0117 3286686

Email

Rosie.hale@uwe.ac.uk

Website

www.uwe.ac.uk